Newtown, PA – August 6, 2025 — Newtown Emergency Medical Services Chief Evan N. Resnikoff is urging all municipalities served by the agency to formally support Pennsylvania House Bill 1152 (HB1152), a proposed legislative measure aimed at reforming how EMS providers are reimbursed by commercial insurance companies.

In a memo dated August 5, Resnikoff outlined how HB1152 would amend the Insurance Company Law of 1921 to bring consistency, fairness, and efficiency to ambulance service payments across the Commonwealth. The bill, introduced by Representative Cooper and co-sponsored by 33 lawmakers, is currently under review by the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness.

If passed, HB1152 would:

• Require commercial insurers to reimburse EMS agencies at 350% of the Medicare rate, regardless of whether the EMS provider is in-network.

• Mandate that payments go directly to EMS agencies within 45 days of claim submission, instead of being sent to patients.

• Prohibit EMS agencies from "balance billing" patients, except for co-pays and deductibles.

• Allow agencies to continue running subscription drives to support operations.

Resnikoff emphasized that the reforms would stabilize EMS agency revenues, reduce administrative workload, and minimize patient confusion and inconvenience during the billing process.

Several Bucks County municipalities — including Northampton Township, New Britain Township, Doylestown Borough, Langhorne Borough, Langhorne Manor Borough, and Penndel Borough — have already adopted resolutions in support of HB1152. Bristol and Falls Townships are expected to follow suit later this month.

In his appeal, Resnikoff asked municipal leaders to join the growing list of supporters and to urge their state representatives and senators to back the legislation.

“This is not only a step forward for EMS agencies,” Resnikoff wrote, “but also for the residents we serve.”

t the 26 February 2025 Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) public meeting, Elen Snyder, chairperson of the BOS, commended local firefighters for their response and life-saving efforts during a recent house fire in Lower Makefield Township.

An older couple who lived in the home was rescued and needed to be hospitalized due to fire-related injuries, according to reports.

“We couldn’t be prouder,” Snyder added. “It wasn’t even in our township, and they were the first ones there, so kudos to them.”

At public comment, resident Valerie Mihalek echoed the sentiment and recognized the two firefighters by name for their actions.

“I would like to echo the words of Supervisor Snyder in recognizing firefighter Michael Bradshaw and firefighter Quinnten Jones for their incredibly heroic efforts in going back in to save the woman who went back inside to save her pet,” Mihalek said.

Mihalek noted the assistance provided by passing trash haulers who spotted the blaze.

“The trash haulers who were driving by and went in and helped the one gentleman who was in a chairlift to get down the stairs,” she said.

To meet the increasing financial needs of fire and ambulance services, on 11 July 2024 the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Regular Session 2023-2024 House Bill 2310, which authorized increased millage rates for annual taxes levied by Townships of the Second Class for Fire Protection and Emergency Services from 3 mills to 10 mills (read "Millage Rate Limits Raised for Dedicated Fire & EMS Taxes").

The Newtown Board of Supervisors can enact an ordinance authorizing the levy of up to 10 mills of fire tax annually and up to 5 mills of emergency services tax annually without specifying the actual tax rate. The actual tax rate, however, for each given year would be decided by the Board during its year-end budgeting process.

NOTE: For the average Newtown Township homeowner, a 1 mill yearly real estate tax amounts to about $40.00.

What do you think? Should Newtown Township authorize this new limit in Fire and EMS Services Tax? And if it does, should it actually increase these taxes? 

TAKE MY SURVEY: https://rebrand.ly/FireEms_Tax_Survey

To meet the increasing financial needs of fire and ambulance services, on July 11th, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Regular Session 2023-2024 House Bill 2310, which authorized increased millage rates for annual taxes levied by Townships of the Second Class for Fire Protection and Emergency Services from 3 mills to 10 mills.

For the average Newtown Township homeowner, a 1 mill yearly real estate tax amounts to about $44.00.

Although this allows for a substantial tax increase, it is still up to the Board of Supervisors to approve any tax increase.

Read the details here...

From Evan N. Resnikoff, M.S. NRP, Chief of Operations, Newtown Emergency Medical Services, President, Bucks County EMS Chiefs' Association:

"I am proud to note that at both the Newtown and Upper Makefield Stations we achieved an average response time of less than 1.5 minutes in May, and we arrived on location in less than 6 minutes. This is significant in that during a moderately busy month they were able to achieve a better than national average for response times. Locally, the Bucks County average response time for Advanced Life Support is 12 minutes."

Total EMS Calls:

253 (total number of dispatches for our coverage area)

• Mutual Aid Received: 28
• Mutual Aid Dispatched: 35
• Fully Completed Calls: 246
• Newtown Township Runs: 146
• Newtown Boro Runs: 18
• Lower Makefield Township: 7
• Upper Makefied Township: 40

Average response time: 6.1 Minutes

High Priority Responses:

• Gunshot Wound: 1
• Overdose: 1
• Cardiac Arrest: 5
• Expired Persons: 2
• Fires: 2
• MVA's: 11

The Bucks County Commissioners on Wednesday gave the county's struggling rescue squads a financial shot in the arm, voting unanimously to allocate $5.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to 13 county squads.

The funding, which will be provided over a three year period, will be used to support emergency medical services, to provide education and to offer recruitment and retention incentives.

Evan Resnikoff, the president of the Bucks County EMS Chiefs Association, expressed gratitude to the county for the financial support.

"This is going to do amazing things for emergency medical services. It's unprecedented support for EMS in Bucks County and we cannot be more thankful," he said.

"I can tell you personally from experience we just successfully won a referendum in Newtown Township to increase our tax revenue," said Resnikoff.

In November, voters in the township approved increasing the millage for EMS from .5 mills to one mill [approx. $700,000 per year], which Resnikoff said will keep the squad operating and will save the township in the long run.

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Newtown EMS Inc., Newtown, (Newtown Ambulance Squad) $245,574.97 (funding to support EMS); $30,696.87 (recruitment and retention incentives); and $30,696.87 (education support).

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“Between the ARPA funding and the new tax revenue next year we're going to be a very strong organization and help to support area organizations around us."

The ARPA funding, he said, will provide squads with more time to approach local municipal governments and ask for similar referendums and millage increases in support of emergency medical services.

Unofficial election results from Bucks County Wednesday morning showed 57.48% of votes in support, and 42.52% votes opposed.

[My unofficial survey results of 156 Newtown residents: 65% YES, 26% NO, 9% UNDECIDED. Close, but no cigar!]

Newtown Township will now increase property taxes by 0.5 mills, an idea that the Newtown Ambulance Squad (NAS) proposed to the township.

“We’re clearly very pleased with the outcome… The residents chose to support us in a way we’ve been asking for for a very long time,” said Evan Resnikoff, chief of operations for Newtown Ambulance and president of the Bucks County EMS Chiefs’ Association.

The ambulance squad has lost a large portion of its staff; it currently has 37 employees — about a quarter of the people it employed five years ago. As a result, the ambulance squad had to cut its second ambulance from seven nights to two and end its transport service, which provided people with rides to doctor’s appointments and nursing homes.

Resnikoff said the squad plans to use the funds from the tax increase to raise staff wages, and leaders hope that will help them keep employees. Resnikoff said the squad pays well below its Bucks County counterparts.

The ambulance squad serves Newtown Borough and Newtown Township, an area with a total of about 22,000 residents.

Newtown Township residents currently pay 8.49 mills in property taxes, which equates to a tax bill of $370.16 for the owner of a home assessed at $43,600. Newtown Ambulance Squad already gets 0.5 mills of that tax rate.

The increase of 0.5 mills will cost the owner of a home assessed at $43,600 an extra $21.80 per year.

If all of the taxes are collected, according to Resnikoff, the ambulance squad will receive $342,000, doubling their previous tax revenue of $171,000.

“We’ve been here for 70 years this year,” Resnikoff said. “And we hope to be here for 70 more.”

Welcome to Meet Mack Monday (MMM).

I am John Mack, your host and a Newtown Township Supervisor.

Each month I host a Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting to inform residents of items that are of interest to them and to get feedback and comments from them. This helps me keep better informed of residents’ concerns when voting on important issues at supervisor meetings.

This video was presented at the October 17, 2022, MMM meeting via Zoom. It included the following discussion Topics:

* 2023 Budget Highlights
* Newtown/Wrightstown Police Services Agreement
* NO TURN ON RED - Pedestrian Safety
* Old Business: Wawa Update, Toll Bros Update

It’s been a long hot summer and much has happened while we were on vacation. The Newtown Board of Supervisors (BOS) has received many comments from residents this summer regarding several issues – especially pedestrian safety, Lower Dolington Road trail delays, and women’s reproductive rights (i.e., abortion). Residents joined me via Zoom to discuss these and other issues at the September 12, 2022, Meet Mack Monday meeting.

Some residents were concerned about the Women's Reproductive Rights Resolution. What does this resolution say? Whose opinion does it represent?

Find out by reading the summary here...

Agenda Items:

• Consideration to send a letter in accordance with the BCATO request related to the potential BCWSA sewer sale
  Public Hearing
• Blue Point Grill (BPG), 3 West Road - Conditional Use
• Piccolo Trattoria, 32-34 West Road – Conditional Use
• Consider approving zoning enforcement settlement agreement re Gun Shows at the NAC Sports Training Center
• Consider adopting a Resolution authorizing the placement of a referendum on the November 8,  2022 general election ballot seeking voter approval of an additional one-half mill of real estate tax  annually to support ambulance, rescue, and other emergency services
• Authorization to draft a Resolution supporting Abortion rights

More...

On August 10, 2022, the #NewtownPA Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved a resolution to add a referendum to the November ballot, which, if it passes, would raise the EMS tax by 0.5 mill.

This would benefit the Newtown Ambulance Squad (NAS) as explained by NAS Chief Evan Resnikoff at a previous BOS meeting (see graphic).

I was on vacation and did not cast a vote at the August BOS meeting, but I support this referendum. Find details in the resolution: https://bit.ly/NASreferendum

Will you vote "YES" or "NO"? Take my survey: https://forms.gle/EADhiuBbAW8NAU4M8

Reports from Planning Commission; Engineer's update: DCED Watershed Restoration Fund grant, Lower Dolington Road Multi-Use Trail, Village at Newtown Traffic Study; Solicitor's Report: Legal NAC Expansion Project, Bucks County EMS Chief’s Association Request for ARPA Funds for EMS; Budget Discussion; Hybrid Meetings; Planning Commission to review Arcadia HOP Application; More...

This is my personal summary of the November 23, 2021, meeting of Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS). This is not a complete nor an official summary.

Contents

• Public Comment
• Reports of Committees
• Reports of Officials
• Bills List
• Old Business
• New Business
• My Personal Notes

Read more...